1-2-3 Come Make A Horton and Who With Me!
I always try to design some sort of "craftivity" to go with my lessons. This helps motivate students to get down to business and stay on task, so that they can transition to the fun center.
I especially love making a manipulative that students can use while I read the story, or to show me that they understand spatial directions.
I've also found that some quiet students really come out of their shell. when they are behind a mask, or talking for a puppet, so I designed a double puppet with this Peek A Boo activity.
How To Make Horton: Run off the elephant on gray construction paper. Because of copyright laws I did not draw the “real” Horton. Students color the tusks white and then cut their elephant out. Add wiggle eyes with glue dots for extra pizzazz.
The toilet paper trunk is simply covered with matching paper. Cut 2 slits so that you shove it between the elephant's tusks. Students cut out their clover “flower” curl the end of a green pipe cleaner and tape it to the back of the clover.
I fastened a mini white pom pom for the “dust speck” but you could also use a little piece of cotton ball. Stick the clover to Horton's trunk with a glue dot, or piece of rolled Scotch tape. The little poem on the clover says: Peek-a-me, Peek-a-you-Peek a Who from Whoville too!
Making a Who Popsicle stick Pop Up Puppet: Tape or glue-dot 2 Popsicle sticks end to end.
I got the picture of the Who from Coloring pages ABC. They have a variety of licensed characters that you can use to make worksheets to match your themes.
Because of copyrights, I did not make a page of Whos. You can click on the link and check out the Whoville characters you want, and then just copy and paste them into a word document so you can make them smaller.
Run off a master set, rough cut, and let students have a choice of a Who. They could also design their own.
Children color their who, trim and glue to the end of the Popsicle stick. I chose this girl from Whoville, because she had a feather on her head, so I added a feather for that finishing touch.
Children manipulate their puppets to show all sorts of spatial directions: “Poke your Who up, down, out, in" etc. "The Who is between the elephant’s eyes."
Students can also manipulate Horton and place him above their head, behind their back, in their left hand, in their right hand etc. If you don't want to fuss with the toilet paper roll puppet, you can use Horton for all sorts of writing prompts.
I've included 22 writing prompt "trunk" templates. Students' completed projects make an adorable Seuss bulletin board, for March is Reading Month.
Click on the link to view/download The Horton Writing Prompt Puppet. 
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"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh the thinks you can think up if only you try!" -Dr. Seuss
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1-2-3 Come Seuss With Me!
Anyone else out there "ob-seussed" with the works of Dr. Seuss? I enjoyed some of his books as a child, but when I really appreciated his prolific writing, was when I became a teacher. I could see first hand that his goofy pictures, silly words and rhyming technique caused giggles and helped my students learn how to read.
His birthday is March 2nd. This year he'd be 110 and many will celebrate with a Cat in the Hat Day or by simply reading Seuss books through out the month.
With over 60 titles to choose from, you could read a different one each day as you join with others to "Read Across America."
To help you celebrate, I designed a few activities to put in centers or play games with, as a way to review a variety of standards.
The number puzzle strips have been downloaded quite a bit, so I thought it would be fun to make a few with a Seuss theme.
Thanks to the wonderful graphics by myclipartstore.com they turned out adorable. The puzzles help your kiddos practice counting to 10, count backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip count by 10's to 100. Click on the link to view/download the 14 Dr. Seuss puzzles.
Another cute way to practice skip counting by 10's is to have your students make Thing 1 and Thing 2. Add 10 turquoise hair strips that they've "curled" on a crayon (5 on each Thing) and then count them by 10's.
Click on the link to view/download the Count by 10's With Thing 1 and Thing 2 "craftivity".
Many teachers have told me that they collect my different alphabet cards, so that they can switch things up a bit each month to keep their students' interest.
In the Dr. Seuss alphabet packet you'll find Thing 1 and Thing 2 ABC cards that show both upper and lowercase letters on the same card, as well as separate upper and lowercase letter cards, so that you can play all sorts of games like Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?"
Use them as flashcards, a border, cut them up into puzzles etc. I've provided a 3-page tip list of all sorts of things you can do with them, as well as Kaboom cards to make games even more fun. Click on the link to view/download the Dr. Seuss Alphabet Cards.
Finally, I also made some number cards from 0 to 120. There are math symbol cards as well, so that students can make and solve equations, plus an odd and even sorting mat and a tip list of ideas. Click on the link to view/download the Dr. Seuss Number Cards.
That's it for today. I hope you can stop by again tomorrow for the newest Seuss FREEBIES. In the meantime, scroll down to see other blog articles and ideas, or click on the link to pop on over to the Dr.Seuss section of TeachWithMe to find even more.
"Don't cry that it's over; smile because it happened." -Dr. Seuss
1-2-3 Come Make A Flip Hat With Me.
I got the idea to make hat flip books from Mrs. Zrihen over at A Teachers Treasure. 
She teaches 6-8 grade reading and made one for figurative language. 
Click on the link to check out her creative blog.
My wheels were of course turning, of what I could do for lower elementary, so I whipped together this one on coins.
The Cent-sational Seuss hat is a quick and easy little activity for your Seuss unit that will help review coins in a fun way.
Students cut their cover into flaps and glue it to the edge of their hat, so that when they flip a stripe over, it reveals the appropriate coin that they've glued and how much it's worth.
Completed projects make a great spring bulletin board. Click on the link to view/download the Cent-sational Seuss hat.
Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN away.
For another fun Seuss hat activity (this one on patterning) scroll down.
"If you follow the crowd, you might get lost in it." -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Pattern With Me!
Whenever I covered patterns, I usually passed out several colored manipulatives like Unifix cubes or patterning blocks, so that my students could complete the patterns and show me one of their own and then name it, such as ABAB, ABCABC, ABBA etc.
I wanted to think of something different to do, as a math center, for Dr. Seuss Week, so I frogged around with a variety of things a child could create with the stripes on a Cat in the Hat hat.
The result is the 10-page packet: Dr. Seuss Hat Patterning
I think your students will enjoy these hands-on activities and game.
They are an easy and fun way to whole-group assess patterning.
Make a class set of the white-hat template, and cut a variety of colored construction paper strips.
Children choose 2 colors. Teacher calls out a pattern and students arrange their stripes to show it. You can see at a glance who needs help.
If you don't want to save the game for next year, when you have completed your assessment, have students glue their stripes to their hat showing their favorite pattern.
There are also several art "craftivities" as well, including my Y5's favorite, which was designing their own Seuss hat.
For little ones, use the pattern that has stripes on it, so that they can simply color it differently than the real cat's hat.
For some great fine motor practice, instead of coloring their hat, have children rip and tear a colored strip of construction paper and then glue the pieces to their hat. Reinforce an ABAB pattern by having them choose only one color.
Use the blank template for older students and encourage them to design a hat with something other than stripes. Click on the link to view/download the Dr. Seuss Hat Patterning Packet.
Thanks for visiting. Feel free to PIN away. Do you have a Dr. Seuss activity you could share with us? I'd enjoy hearing from you: diane@teachwithme.com or post a comment here.
"Fill your house with books, in all of the crannies and all of the nooks!" -Dr. Seuss
1-2-3 Come Shape Up With The Lorax And Me!
Since the Silly Shaped Penguins have been such a huge success, I thought I'd try to make something similar, with a Seuss character. 
The Lorax, because he's already an oval, was the perfect fit.
You can make a set and simply use them as shape anchor charts, for a fun review, during Seuss Week or March is Reading Month, or you can have students choose their favorite shape and make their own.
I've included 2 different mustache patterns for you to choose from. One says, "I mustache you what shape am I?" and the other one is plain.
I personally love the play on words and think students will think that is sort of cornball fun too.
If you want to add a bit of keepsake value to their shape, have them pick a partner, so they can trace each other's hand, on a folded-sheet of yellow construction paper.
Keeping the paper folded, they only have to cut once, making 2 hands that are perfect for a Lorax mustache.
Start off by reading The Lorax and asking students what shape he is. Show them your samples and ask them which they like the best.
You could graph this for an easy math extension. Simply hang the Lorax shapes on the white board, and write students' names under whatever one they like the best.
Tell the students that the Lorax ate some leaves from the Truffula tree and has Truffulaitis, which made him lose his normal shape.
They can help him return to the real Lorax, by completing the Lorax Shape Mystery easy reader.
Show your sample and explain what you want them to do. i.e. circle the capital letters, add end punctuation, trace and write the shape word, trace and draw the shapes etc.
As children complete their Lorax easy reader, they can make a Lorax shape of their choice. Run the templates off on orange paper.
Children can add wiggle eyes, and accordion folded, construction paper arms and legs. Suspend the Lorax shapes back-to-back from the ceiling, or mount them on a pastel blue bulletin board, flanked by truffula trees.
Your caption could be: "Reading Really Gets Us In Shape!" Click on the link to view/print the Lorax Shape Packet.
Finally, another sweet Lorax "craftivity" is making a mustache/moustache to launch a writing prompt. It's an interesting and "Suessical" way of doing things that I think your students will enjoy.
For an adorable bulletin board, take everyone's photograph wearing their mustache and put it next to their writing. Your bulletin board title could be the same question you are asking: "We mustache you, would you save a truffula tree?"
Flank the board on either side, with 2 colorful truffula trees, made out of strips of neon-colored tissue paper, and rolled up green bulletin board paper for the trunk, that you can stripe with brightly colored boarder. Click on the link to view/download the Lorax Writing Prompt packet.
If your class is into the mustache thing, click on the link for more mustache-themed FREEBIES. To see another fun Lorax activity, scroll down for the next blog article.
Thank you for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything you think others will find helpful.
"Fill your house with lots of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks." -Dr. Seuss
